For the ninth year in a row, the Park District of Oak Park is receiving an Illinois Department of Natural Resources grant to upgrade one of its parks.
On Saturday, the district was notified that it will receive a $400,000 grant through the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development, or OSLAD, program, which provides matching dollars for outdoor recreation projects. The grant is to make improvements at Euclid Square Park, said district spokeswoman Diane Stanke.
“This grant award, like the others before it, allows the Park District to improve our parks for the enjoyment and enrichment of all Oak Park residents while providing the opportunity to stretch our existing tax dollars,” Jessica Bullock, president of the Park Board of Commissioners, said in a statement.
Using the grant money and capital funds, officials plan to construct a new ADA-accessible playground with a permeable rubber surface, renovate tennis courts and create a small sledding hill. Also planned are improvements to existing paths and creation of a rain garden at the park, which is located on the south end of the village, one block north of Roosevelt Road.
The total cost of the project, which is slated to be completed in 2017, will be about $990,000, Stanke said.
Over the last decade, the park district has received nearly $3.2 million in OSLAD grant money, including the most recent grant, she said.
“These OSLAD funds have made just a tremendous impact on our park system. We’re very grateful for this grant funding,” Stanke said. “We’re transforming our parks.”
This year, the park district is completing renovations at Austin Gardens and also may finish a similar project at Maple Park, she said.
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